Enphase vs. SolarEdge – Picking the Right Tools for the Job

As a registered solar engineer, certified contractor and licensed PV instructor of US Solar Institute, I frequently receive calls from homeowners and businesses asking for recommendations on the best solar PV products to use.

Typical considerations include the usual shading culprits (i.e. leaves, clouds and bird droppings) that can dramatically reduce the performance of solar panels wired in series. But because I work primarily throughout the state of Florida and the Caribbean region, I have the luxury of testing a broad range of technologies under extreme conditions.

So when Enphase Energy began marketing its products in Florida, I naturally became interested – especially after learning that they favored module-level integration over more traditional string-level management.

In fairness – Enphase honored its parts warranty. But they did not cover the cost of labor or any of the mandatory middleware I had to purchase to make the system fully operational. My initial eagerness had prompted me to deploy Enphase in a number of projects throughout the region. As these systems began to fail one-by-one, my profits eroded even faster than the inverters.

Although disappointed, I was also realistic. Designing systems for the Florida market is no small feat. Enphase made an honest attempt, and I couldn’t hold them responsible for failing where so many others had failed before.

In isolation, this difference may not seem like much. Over the 20 to 30-year lifespan of a standard solar PV system however, this advantage of greater energy harvest can translate into sizable energy savings. This is especially true in a state with historically low electricity rates (currently $0.09); every percentage point matters when discussing payback periods.

On strictly performance (both under laboratory conditions and on the US Solar Institute roof), SolarEdge consistently emerged as the clear winner– at least for the Florida market. But we discovered a number of other advantages as well, including:

The SolarEdge solution is more affordable than Enphase – another major factor when assessing project payback periods.

The SolarEdge solution comes as a completely integrated system with no additional middleware necessary to monitor performance. Moreover, system monitoring with SolarEdge remains free for the lifetime of the system. Enphase charges for this value-added service after a few years.

Customization and panel selection are limited with Enphase. If you install panels greater than 240W, the M215 microinverter “clips” the amount of power that could have been produced by that panel. The SolarEdge solution is compatible with higher-wattage panels now common in residential and commercial installations, again resulting in a larger energy harvest.

SolarEdge’s OPA optimizer works with any string line inverters, providing unprecedented flexibility when customizing installations for commercial and residential clients.

Whereas the Enphase architecture includes three energy conversions under the panel, SolarEdge only requires one. Each subsequent layer of conversion produces heat, creating energy losses for the entire solar PV system.

Because I’ve never tested Enphase outside of the Caribbean, I cannot rate its performance under all conditions. Perhaps it’s ideally suited for other solar markets that don’t have the same challenges we face in Florida, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Based on my first-hand experience with both technologies however, I remain convinced that SolarEdge is one of the best tools for the PV solar market. These solutions provide the highest energy returns at the lowest cost, complete with lifetime monitoring – even from your smart phone.

Several installers we have trained at U.S. Solar Institute had this to say about why they prefer SolarEdge solutions over other technologies:

SolarEdge consistently passed every test in our labs when we were looking for solar solutions that could withstand Florida’s extreme weather conditions. SolarEdge came out on top every time.” Ray Johnson – US Solar Institute and Florida Solar One, Inc

Continued testing in our laboratories coupled with enthusiastic feedback from our clients merely reinforces my belief that the Sunshine State’s transition to a solar economy is closer than I originally believed.